cities association of santa clara county city selection committee · 2020. 11. 12. · rich...
TRANSCRIPT
Cities Association of Santa Clara County City Selection Committee
CONTENTS
Letters of Interest
NEYSA FLIGOR – ABAG ..................................................................................................................................... 2
GLEN HENDRICKS – ABAG ................................................................................................................................. 3
RICH CONSTANTINE – BAAQMD ........................................................................................................................ 4
SUDS JAIN – BAAQMD ...................................................................................................................................... 5
SERGIO JIMENEZ – BAAQMD ............................................................................................................................ 6
ROB RENNIE – BAAQMD ................................................................................................................................... 7
ROD SINKS – BAAQMD ..................................................................................................................................... 9
MARGARET ABE-KOGA – MTC......................................................................................................................... 10
LIZ GIBBONS – MTC ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Letters of Support
ALEX KENNETT FOR JIMENEZ .......................................................................................................................... 12
SAM LICARDO FOR JIMENEZ ........................................................................................................................... 13
Larry Klein Mayor
Nancy Smith Vice Mayor
Gustav Larsson Councilmember
Glenn Hendricks Councilmember
Russ Melton Councilmember
Michael S. Goldman Councilmember
Mason Fong Councilmember
October 27, 2020
Mrs. Andi Jordan Executive Director Cities Association of Santa Clara County (CASCC) P.O. Box 3144 Los Altos, CA 94024
Dear Mrs. Jordan:
With Councilmember Clark’s departure from the Mountain View City Council creating a vacancy on the ABAG Executive Board, I write to you today with great interest in the appointment to the Board.
As a Sunnyvale Councilmember for seven years and Mayor for three of those years, I have the experience and knowledge to serve as the Cities Association appointee on ABAG. During my tenure, I served and continue to serve on intergovernmental agencies such as the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors, currently as Vice Chair, the Airport Land Use Commission as the Cities Association appointee, and the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Airplane Noise Roundtable, among several others. The ability to serve on these agencies and tackle conflicting high priority issues in our region has provided me the expertise and qualifications necessary of the ABAG Executive Board.
Locally, the City of Sunnyvale continues to be a leader in transportation and housing initiatives. Recently, the City Council adopted the Active Transportation Plan which combined our Bike Plan, Pedestrian Plan and Safe Routes to School Plan into one cohesive and integrated document. In July, we adopted our Vision Zero Plan to reduce fatal and severe collisions. Similarly, we’ve participated in regional coordination with VTA and Caltrans on the successful funding/design and construction of improvements at the US101/SR237/Mathilda interchange.
Additionally, Council directed staff to study an increase of 7,000 housing units for three specific plan areas near transit (Downtown Sunnyvale, El Camino Real and Lawrence Station) – an almost ten percent increase in the adopted General Plan
Andi Jordan, Cities Association of Santa Clara County
October 27, 2020
Page 2 of 2
buildout. Earlier this month, the Council considered a Housing Strategy, the general goal of which is to refine the City’s long-term housing strategy, identify potential improvements to existing programs and approaches, identify potential new approaches to increase affordable housing stock and improve affordability of housing in the City.
I understand that the CASCC City Selection Committee will be considering this appointment at the November 12 meeting. I look forward to the CASCC’s decision at that time.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Glenn Hendricks Councilmember
cc: Larry Klein, Mayor Kent Steffens, City Manager
17575 Peak Avenue Morgan Hill, CA 95037-4128
TEL: (408) 779-7271 FAX: (408) 779-3117
www.morganhill.ca.gov
Mayor Rich Constantine
November 7, 2020
Via Email:
Cities Association Selection Committee Members
Cities Association of Santa Clara
P.O. Box 3144
Los Altos, CA 94024
Re: Appointment to the BAAQMD Board of Directors
Dear Cities Association Selection Committee Members,
I write this letter to express my interest in the Cities Association appointment to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors.
During my 10 years on the Morgan Hill City council, 8 as a council member and 2 as Mayor, I have always championed the environment. From initiating the ban on plastic bag use, to voting to switch every city street light to LED, my focus is on making our world safer. That is why the Sierra Club has always endorsed me.
As Chair of the Water Commission at Valley Water District, I understand the importance of our natural resources. During this years devastating wildfires, the air quality we have been breathing has highlighted the need to accelerate the reduction of our carbon footprint. Furthermore, I have experience working with elected officials from other counties on the Caltrain Local Policy Makers Group. The Air District requires a great commitment, and I am ready to get to work. As a retired 25 year veteran of the Fire Service I will have no problem making the meetings especially once meetings start in person again.
I respectfully ask for your consideration for the appointment to BAAQMD.
Sincerely,
Rich ConstantineMayorCity of Morgan Hill
Suds Jain
Councilmember-Elect
City of Santa Clara
November 5, 2020
Dear Cities Association Selection Committee,
As a longtime environmental leader and a newly elected council member in Santa Clara, I am seeking
your appointment to the BAAQMD board. I would like to represent all 15 cities of our county to continue
the Air District’s leadership in improving human health and reducing our carbon footprint.
For the past 12 years, I have worked full-time as a volunteer fighting climate change. I have been a
board member of Acterra the past 8 years and served 2 years as chair. I was trained by Al Gore’s Climate
Reality project in 2012 and have given over 30 presentations. I was the leader of a local chapter of
Citizens’ Climate Lobby for 6 years. I have taught a weekly Climate Change science class for middle
school students for the past 9 years. I’m very active in 350 Silicon Valley and with the Fossil Free
Buildings Campaign. In the election, I was endorsed by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation
Voters, among other organizations and a long list of regional elected leaders (full list here
https://www.votesuds.com/endorsements). As you can see from those endorsements, I’ve already built
relationships through my work and campaign that demonstrate my concern for all our communities, and
look forward to working collaboratively with all of you.
My work at Acterra has prepared me well for this role. As your Air District representative, you can count
on me to put in the time and effort needed to be effective. I have talked to Rod Sinks and understand
the substantial work and time commitment. I will invest the time to gain the trust of fellow board
members and retain the influence that our cities have enjoyed the past few years. I want to ensure our
stationary sources including the Lehigh cement plant and the work to mitigate odors in the Milpitas and
North San Jose areas continues. I will work to ensure we get our share of grants to replace older diesel
vehicles and decarbonize our built environment.
I am well familiar with the challenges cities face, having served on the Santa Clara planning commission
for years prior to my election to council. I intend to help my city build stronger, cooperative
relationships with the cities of our county.
Thank you for your consideration. I can be reached at [email protected] and by cell: 408-499-2955.
Sincerely,
Suds Jain
200 East Santa Clara St. 18th Floor, San José, CA 95113-1903 tel (408) 535-4902 fax (408) 292-6451 [email protected]
Sergio Jimenez COUNCILMEMBER
DISTRICT 2
November 5, 2020
Dear Members of the City Selection Committee,
San Jose is the largest city in the region and has been at the forefront of efforts to address climate change and lowering our greenhouse gas emissions to improve the public’s health and wellbeing. I am proud to have played a role in these efforts in my capacity as the Chair of LAFCO, and serving on the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Financing Board, CA League of Cities Board of Directors, Caltrain Local Policy Makers Group, the VTA Policy Advisory Committee in addition to representing the constituency of District 2 in San Jose for the last four years.
I respectfully submit my name to be considered for appointment to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board to continue to represent the South Bay and especially San Jose. Some of the highlights of my work in my first four years on Council include: launching San Jose Clean Energy, adopting and implementing Climate Smart San Jose, approving the Better Bike Plan 2025, and transitioning from LOS to VMT under SB 743. In 2019 I led the City of San Jose in the purchase and permanent protection of approximately 943 acres of open space in northern Coyote Valley. This historical land acquisition has created an unparalleled opportunity to establish a world-class preserve that protects critical environmental values, confers regional climate resilience, and which can serve as a unique nature-based destination that supports the goals of voter approved Measure T. I am committed to continuing efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to improve our air quality. In fact the City of San Jose recently joined BAAQMD’s “Cut the Commute” Campaign and I was honored to vote in support. I was recently awarded the “Environmental Legislator of the Year” by the Santa Clara League of Conservation Voters.
I look forward to joining leaders in the South Bay to continue to work to establish the Bay Area as a leader to improve and protect our residents' health and would very much appreciate your consideration for this appointment.
Respectfully,
Sergio Jimenez Councilmember, District 2 City of San José
OFFICE OF
COUNCILMEMBER ROD SINKS
CITY HALL
10300 TORRE AVENUE • CUPERTINO, CA 95014-3255
TELEPHONE: (408) 777-3194 • FAX: (408) 777-3366
November 2, 2020
Dear Cities Association Selection Committee,
I will soon complete service on my city council and am grateful to have served as one of your representatives to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) Board of Directors for the past six years, as well as President of the Cities Association in 2018.
Over the past six years, The Air District has made significant progress in reducing health impacts of toxins & particulate matter through new rule making and initiatives, and mitigating climate change through our many programs & incentives. With wildfires in recent years, the public’s awareness of the quality of the air we breathe and our need for urgency in reducing our carbon footprint has underlined the importance of our work. In our county, I have helped focus resources on understanding and reducing odors from various facilities in and adjacent to north San Jose and Milpitas, as well as reduction of toxins and particulate matter from the cement plant adjacent to Cupertino.
I am currently serving as Air District Board Chair. We have a lot of substantive business to conduct in December and January, including particulate matter recommendations and personnel matters. We rotate leadership at the board meeting in January and would ask you to allow me the privilege of passing on the gavel to the next chair at that meeting, which has yet to be scheduled. State law allows me to continue service on the Air District Board for 90 days after I leave elected office in December. Having checked with the Air District’s Counsel, this would be readily accomplished by making a new appointment to fill the seat I currently occupy effective February 1, 2021, and that is my request for your consideration.
Finally, I look forward to helping the next representatives you select become effective Air District board members, and urge you to appoint those who can devote substantial time to the work of the board and its many committees, which meet during weekday mornings to early afternoons.
Sincerely,
Rod Sinks
Cities Association of Santa Clara County Selection Committee Members P.O. Box 3144 Los Altos, CA 94024
November 3rd, 2020
Dear Members of the Cities Selection Committee.
I write to express my interest in the Cities Association appointment to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. I believe I would bring a strong combination of experience and skills to represent the Cities Association well on the MTC.
During my three terms on the Mountain View City Council, I have been a champion for transportation and transit issues. Mountain View is acknowledged as a leader in innovative transportation solutions, and I am proud to have been a part of implementing those policies and practices. I have also served extensively on the VTA Policy Advisory Committee for five years, and on the Board for four years including serving as Vice-Chair and Chair. As Vice Chair and then Chair of the VTA board, I was instrumental in closing a $40M budget deficit during the Great Recession and preserving Caltrain.
Having served on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board for the last three years, I’ve been able to build relationships with colleagues from other Counties, several of whom also serve on the MTC board. I believe these already established relationships will be beneficial to my hitting the ground running should I have the honor of serving on MTC.
Furthermore, the regional bodies all housed at the Beale Street Building in San Francisco – MTC, ABAG and BAAQMD have been working to collaborate more closely, as many of the goals of the agencies overlap. I have had the opportunity to serve on some of these collaborative efforts such as the ABAG/MTC Housing Legislation Committee which the Cities Association Board appointed me to last year, and most recently, a regional Task Force to promote telecommuting policies (Cut the Commute Campaign) which is comprised of elected leaders from several counties as well as staff from MTC, BAAQMD, and BARC (the Bay Area Regional Collaborative).
Finally, as a long serving member of the Cities Association Board, who has also held several leadership positions including President, I have come to understand the diverse cities in our County and have demonstrated my leadership in moving our collective issues forward.
I am open-minded, collaborative, have a strong command of transportation/transit issues, and advocate strongly for our County’s needs while seeing the bigger picture. I would be honored to have your support for the appointment to MTC.
Sincerely,
Margaret Abe-Koga Mayor, City of Mountain View
From: Andi Jordan [email protected]: FW: MTC Representative
Date: November 5, 2020 at 10:34 PMTo: Audin Leung [email protected]
Be well – stay safe.~Andi | she|her408.766.9534
From: Liz Gibbons <[email protected]>Date: Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 10:32 PMTo: Andi Jordan <[email protected]>Cc: Larry Klein <[email protected]>, Marico Sayoc<[email protected]>Subject: MTC Representative
Andi, if the board decides to move forward with the selection of MTC representative onNovember 12th, please consider the following as my application.
In my position as CASCC representative on ABAG since 2016, I have activelyresearched and participated in all major issues considered and voted by the ABAG ExBd:
Beginning the commitment to consolidate the ABAG and MTC staff and ultimatelythe organizations;Update of Plan 2040Annual budgets and workplansBayRENHorizonsWater supply and flood management programs throughout the Bay AreaMajor legislation : 2015-16; 2017-18 and 2019-20CASA recommendations, and subsequent AB 1487 legislation, and Bay AreaRegional Housing Finance AuthorityI have made motions and contributed to critical motions approved by the Ex Bd.Housing Technical Assistance ProgramBay Area 2050Energy and Infrastructure programsLEAP and REAP funding
I am not uncomfortable asking questions that need to be asked.
Now is a critical opportunity to strategically position Santa Clara County cities into thetransitioning MTC agency with particular attention to the joint committees and newinitiative for housing. There is a significant transition of representatives on MTC due toretirements and term limits.
I strongly support the development of a Strategic Plan for CASCC to position itself as apowerful voice in the major decision-making body of the Bay Area. My lengthyexperience and knowledge of MTC, ABAG and staff is well suited to be the CASCC MTCrepresentative if the timing is now. I am open to finding the appropriate people for both
representative if the timing is now. I am open to finding the appropriate people for bothABAG and MTC in January when all new councilmembers are seated. I have confirmedthat I can hold a representative position on both MTC/ABAG until a plan is made. Respectfully,Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Gibbons, AIA, LEED APVice Mayor, City of CampbellPast AIA Strategic Councelor At- Large
33 Las Colinas Lane
San Jose, CA 95119
408.224.7476 T
408.224.7548 F
openspaceauthority.org
Andrea Mackenzie,
General Manager
Alex Kennett, District 1
Mike Flaugher, District 2
Sequoia Hall, District 3
Dorsey Moore, District 4
Shay Franco-Clausen, District 5
Mike Potter, District 6
Kalvin Gill, District 7
November 10, 2020
Cities Association of Santa Clara County
Selection Committee Members
P.O. Box 3144
Los Altos, CA 94024
Via email: [email protected]
Dear Members of the Cities Association Selection Committee,
On behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, I write to express support
for the nomination of San Jose City Councilmember Sergio Jimenez to the Bay Area
Air Quality Management District Board. Councilmember Jimenez is committed to
environmental justice, ensuring underserved communities get equitable access to
parks and open space, and ensuring a more sustainable and resilient region for all.
The Open Space Authority is a public, independent special district created by the
California State Legislature in 1993 to conserve the natural environment, support
agriculture and connect people to nature. In 2019, in partnership with the Authority,
Councilmember Jimenez helped lead the City of San Jose in the permanent
protection of close to 1,000 acres of open space in northern Coyote Valley. This
multi-benefit landscape within incorporated San Jose contributes to clean air, clean
water, flood risk reduction and open space that benefits people and nature.
Councilmember Jimenez understands the importance of nature-based solutions to
climate change and is committed to protecting remaining open spaces from sprawl
to protect our air, water and wildlife while building resilience to the impacts of
climate change.
I am confident that Councilmember Jimenez will make a meaningful contribution to
the BAAQMD Board and will help guide the District’s efforts to create a healthier,
more sustainable San Francisco Bay Area.
Sincerely,
Alex Kennett, Chair
Board of Directors - Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
DocuSign Envelope ID: 4BF12AE9-7B02-49FF-86B1-0BF7478BDECB
November 9, 2020
Dear Members of the City Selection Committee,
I am writing to support the appointment of San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez to the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Board. San José serves a significant
role in the region, and has been at the forefront of efforts to address climate change and
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to improve the public’s health and well-being.
Councilmember Jimenez is the Chair of LAFCO, and serves on the California League of
Cities Board of Directors, Caltrain Local Policy Makers Group, the VTA Policy Advisory
Committee -- and has been a leader on environmental issues on our City Council. He is
committed to efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and to improve our air quality. He
was also recently awarded the “Environmental Legislator of the Year” by the Santa Clara
County League of Conservation Voters.
Thank you for considering Councilmember Jimenez for one of the Cities’ Association
BAAQMD Board appointments. He has been an environmental leader, has valuable
experience on regional boards, and I know he would represent all the cities in the region well.
Sincerely,
Sam Liccardo
Mayor
City of San José
Sam T. Liccardo MAYOR
200 East Santa Clara Street, 18th floor, San José, CA 95113 tel (408) 535-4800 fax (408) 292-6422 www.sjmayor.org